Baking cookies

Cooking with children has become a culture of many early childhood centres and is becoming an integral part of early childhood settings.  This is now incorporated in the programme planning in many centres.

Today, the children at my centre were going to make some cookies.  Jill (one of the teachers) had the recipe for cookies ready and went to the kitchen to fetch the ingredients, bowl, spoon, scale, pushers, electrical beater and a baking tray.  The children together with the teacher weighed the amount of butter required on the scale.  They were using maths to work out the amount of butter that was needed.  They then using a cup measured the amount of flour and sugar and placed them in a bowl together with the butter.  Using the electrical beater, they mixed all the ingredients to the right consistency.  It was then time to scoop the mixture and putting them in the pusher.  To my amazement, the children were able to put the mixture in the pusher and pressed the pusher making their own creative patterns of the cookies.  Later, I placed the cookies in the oven to be cooked and the children all enjoyed them during “Kai time”.

   When I think of this cooking experience, I realised that this simple process enjoyed by the children was a rich learning for them.  Firstly it was creative; the children made their own patterns of the cookies and the end product (baked cookies) also looked different.  The children were able to use their knowledge to problem solve such as weighing the amount of butter, counting the number of cups of flour and sugar needed for the cookies, holding the electrical beater steady inside the bowl, turn taking, working alongside with their peers, seeking information from the teacher to ensure they had the correct amount of the ingredients, making their desired patterns of the cookies using the pusher and finally licking the left over ingredients of the pusher.  This process cooking was a technological activity (Smorti, 1999).

I also feel that cooking with the children helps them to have a sense of belonging as it provides links from home to the centre (Ministry of Education, 1996).  Additionally, cooking is part of their social world, they observe and even help their parents and siblings in cooking at home (Arthur, Beecher, Death, Dockett & Farmer, 2008).  The children used the resources (ingredients) and their knowledge/skills (funds of knowledge from home and support from the teachers) to problem solve.  The end product was yummy cookies.  The children also developed social competence such as sharing, taking turns, talking and working alongside with their peers.  Ministry of Education (1996) states that children develop strategies and skills for enjoying a relationship with other children by way of turn taking, problem solving, negotiating and understanding others feelings.

Through this cooking experience, I also realised how technology has changed.  With the use of the scale, spoon, bowl, electrical beater and an electric oven, the children were able to make their cookies so easily.  My grandmother used her hand and at times a wooden stick to prepare her Indian sweet mixtures and would use open fire to do her cooking.  With the advancement in technology, the method of cooking and the design of the ovens have changed.  I was talking to one of the teachers at the centre and she said her grandmother had a “coal range” for cooking, heating and baking.  Nowadays, coal range cookers have become antique and modern designed ovens have taken over.  Also, “forcer” was used before the new designed pushers.

I felt that talking to children about how designs have changed over a period of time was important.  I talked to them about open fire cooking and used the computer as a tool of inquiry to show the children picture of a coal range cooker and a forcer.  As an educator, I feel I would want children to ask technological questions so that I can incorporate them in the programme planning (Fleer & Jane, 2011).  This will only be possible if we as educators make the children aware of what technology is and how technology has changed.   Ministry of Education (1996) stresses that growing experience in problem solving together assists children to understand how technology can help them as well as others.  Additionally, as educators, we also need to keep abreast with what technology is all about and to foster it in children.  This course “People, Places, Things and Events” has served as an excellent platform for me to learn, become aware and embrace both high technology and simple technology.

References:

Arthur, L., Beecher, B., Death, E., Dockett, S., & Farmer, S. (2008).  Programming and planning in early childhood settings (4^th ed.).  Victoria, Australia:  Thompson.

Fleer, M., & Jane, B. (2011). Design and technology for children. Frenchs Forest, New South Wales,         Australia: Pearson Australia.

Ministry of Education. (1996). Te Whāriki: He whāriki mātauranga mo nga mokopuna o Aotearoa         Wellington, New Zealand: Learning Media.

Smorti, S. (1999) Technology in Early Childhood. Early Education, No.19 Autumn 1999.

Photos from http://www.google.com/